My Enemy
by Alexnandru Van Gordon
Summary: The Ice Kings defeated the Titans East in their own city, and Speedy is the only one able to escape. He gets the Titans to help, but they also need a 'certain villain' that Robin doesn't trust...Add the flu and stir...
1. Chapter one: The beginning

I had a weird idea for fan fiction and I thought. "What the heck? Why not give it a try?" In addition, my little sister taped the whole "Apprentice 1 and 2" episodes and will not permit me to stop watching them with her until I finish writing this fan fiction. I like hero shows, but I'm going insane right now. Send flames—I won't burn, but PLEASE read and review for all that is just and right in this world! And, yes—I will humbly accept constructive criticism, especially from those of you who have had years of writing experience. Plus—if you have any suggestions for my story, please send 'em—God gave me two ears and one mouth. I will listen, not yell. I already have the base line for my story, but with how many times I've watched my sister's tape I really don't have much time to pick out the details. Forgive me if you think my idea is corny (I know my summary sucks) and—enjoy!

Summary: (takes place after all other shows (all seasons)) what happens when the Ice King beats the Titans East, and Robin gets a nasty flu? Solution—Slade. Speedy comes to town searching for help to defeat the icy villain and isn't so sure about Slade himself, but hey: Slade appears to want the Ice King to fall just as much as the Titans do. What happens? (Sorry. I suck at summaries! I promise to practice in the future.)

DISCLAIMER: You know it, I know it,—we all know it. I don't own the Titans, but the Warner Bros do (genius—aren't they?). The Ice King, on the other hand, _is_ my own.

"???" speech, '???' thought, _"???"_ natural sound or speech through a speaker (or anything related)

The enemy of my enemy is a friend of mine

By: Alexnandru Van Gordan

Chapter One: A Forced Friendship

Winter was a pleasant time of year, especially when Christmas was just seven days away. Robbery 'attempt's' went up, but the petty thieves were not quite used to the freezing weather and don't get too far in a chase anyway through all those feet of newly fallen snow. But the scenery is always pleasant when you're running (or flying) as fast as you can and the icy breath of winter fills your lungs until you believe they can almost burst. It is cold and it is windy, but it is beautiful.

The sky was nothing but a pale gray canvas that curved to the dome of the chilly atmosphere. Bones ached from the change in air pressure in foretelling a storm, but how could a storm disturb such a deathly silence? Snowflakes fluttered to the ground and only those in movement could feel winters breath on their frozen faces, the stinging wonder against bare flesh.

Only those in the chase could feel it.

Raven reached the first man, hands outstretched in spheres of dark matter just waiting to be released. She did release her power, the man's feet glowing black as well as she chanted the ancient words of "Azerath Metrion Zinthos!" (please correct me if I got the words wrong). His feet went out from beneath him and he fell flat on his back on the icy pavement, a woman jumping aside as he skidded to a halt.

Beast Boy took the liberty of hunting down the second of the five thieves that took the fire escape up to the roof. Changing into his raven state, he was lifted into the air and pecked at the man's face when he reached the top. The man blocked with his arms and thrashed about in an attempt to hit the young hero, but fell over the black railing toward the dark alleyway below. Beast Boy slid into the form of an anaconda and wrapped his long tail around the railing. Shooting downward toward the man, he caught the man around the waist just as he passed out a few feet from the ground. It was a close call, but at least he was alive.

Cyborg took on the third man, the only one who had failed to escape from the bank. He held a gun and shoot aimlessly at the robotic hero, missing each time as Cyborg dodged behind a desk. When the click of an empty pistol filled the silent bank, Cyborg stood from his shelter and shot his cannon. The man was blown back into the safe from which they had stolen the money, landing unconscious on a pile of money he had failed to sack before the heroes came.

Starfire chased the fourth robber a little farther down the road Raven had chased the first. She passed her dark friend just as she had moved to pick up the robber. Raven asked if she required assistance, but Starfire declined. She didn't want to hurt the robber—just talk him out of stealing again.

She caught him at the corner of the street when he ran into a group of businessmen. He danced aside as Starfire swooped down to grab him, but she made up for the miss with a quick spin in the air and an uppercut punch to his jaw. He flew back, but his head remained on his shoulders and his neck did not break. The Tamerainian (correct me if I'm wrong) princess had not meant to hit so brutally, but he was only unconscious.

Robin was left with the last man, running after him down the street in the opposite direction of his two female friends. The man was tallest, heavy built, and not a bad runner. But Robin was far from slow. He caught up to the man in a heartbeat, taking him down with a running-jump-side-kick to the back just as he reached the crosswalk. The man landed with a grunt on his chest, but turned over onto his back and jumped back onto his feet, fists ready for a fight. The thief then lunged forward and threw a punch—and another, and another, and another…You can only imagine the Boy Wonder was getting bored of dodging his head from side to side in defense against such a petty attack. He ended the short battle with one punch, sending the man flying back onto the deserted road with a light thud.

Another easy victory.

The criminals were arrested by the police upon arrival and the Titan's began the long walk home toward the T-tower. They could have flown, but why? It was so beautiful outside.

"_Cough-cough! Cough-cough-cough!_"

Raven, Beast Boy, Cyborg and Starfire all paused and turned around on the snowy sidewalk.

Robin coughed again.

"Dude, you've got a cold!" Beast Boy exclaimed, stating the obvious.

Cyborg glanced at his arm. "Correction—the flu. Told ya, Robin—you should've worn a sweater. Now you're gonna be out of the action for a while."

Robin frowned and walked past them, arms crossed in defiance. "A cough won't kill me. Besides, how do you know if I've got the cold or the flu? It could just be a cough."

"Robin, my arm doesn't lie." He lowered it and they continued onward. "Besides, your suit is short sleeved and I have no idea how thin the material is. You're just begging to get sick."

"Fine—I'll wear a jacket or something." He coughed again, his breath a thick mist that flowed over his shoulder into Starfire's face. "But I'm not sitting any battles out. Besides, a little fresh air is good for a person."

"Not this much." Beast Boy muttered.

"Perhaps you should rest when we return home?" Starfire suggested, worried for the health of her friend. "Cyborg is right. One cannot fight if they are already battling something within themself."

Raven slipped next to Cyborg. "Fever?" She whispered.

"Just wait for it."

"_Cough-cough-cough! Cough-cough-cough!_" Robin sat sideways on the sickbay bed, head heavy with the weight of severe pain. He was freezing and his stomach was quite upset.

"You've got a fever." Cyborg said plainly.

"I thought you said I had the flu?"

"You can get a fever with the flu, usually now around dinnertime." He explained plainly. "Get something to drink and go to sleep. If anything comes up the others and I can handle it."

Robin opened his mouth to argue, but his heart wasn't into it. Maybe a little rest would do him some good. He had been uptight ever since he had seen Slade when no one else could and the hallucination almost drove him to his death. He needed the break.

"Fine." He murmured and jumped off the bed. It was much to Cyborg's surprise that he had not insisted on arguing until the others let him fight to his death. It was so unlike their leader it was…_freaky_.

Starfire sat on the couch beside Beast Boy, still unaccustomed to the controls for their racing game. She had been passed numerous times and lost all but one race (the one Beast Boy allowed her to win out of pity,—_which_ took about half an hour), but she continued to play. It kept her mind off Robin.

Just then the screen changed to show the front door camera. There stood a young boy with short red hair and a bow with arrows. At first Starfire thought it was Robin until Beast Boy jumped up and smiled.

"Hey, Speedy!"

Starfire stared at the boy. It was remarkable how much alike he looked to Robin—maybe they were brothers…or related otherwise…

"_Hey, could you guys let me in? I've got something urgent to tell you."_

"Sure." Beast Boy strode over toward the controls and pressed a couple of the buttons. "Villain problems?"

"_I wish it were otherwise. This concerns you guys now."_

"Oh?" An eyebrow rose. "Anyone we know?"

"_Ummm…does the Ice King ring a bell?"_

"Nope."

"_Slade?"_

Both Beast Boy and Starfire froze.

'Slade is still…alive?' Starfire thought. What did that mean? She remembered how Robin had hallucinated about him due to the dust on Slade's mask, but was he _really_ back this time? In the flesh and blood—or was this all another misunderstanding, a third trick up Slade's sleeve?

"Dude, you're not serious…are you?" Beast Boy asked doubtfully. It was hard to believe, but with a guy like Slade, who knew what was possible or impossible.

"_Yah…but he's not exactly the one you should worry about. He's helping."_

"_Helping_?!" Beast Boy choked.

Starfire was rendered speechless. Hearing the guy was alive was one thing—but _him_ helping _them_… Maybe she was sleeping.

She pinched her arm and jerked from the slight amount of pain.

No. She was awake.

Beast Boy turned around to face Starfire. "You'd better get the others—I'll show Speedy in."

She nodded and did not hesitate. She flew toward the door, but before she walked out into the hall she heard what Beast Boy said.

"Robin is gonna die when he hears this."

Robin shivered under his covers, head and stomach aching. He felt like he was going to vomit, but he had failed to do so yet—just as he had failed to fall asleep. The moment he left Cyborg he had gone straight to bed and tried to rest and it shocked him how hard it was to do something as simple as that. The one time he had the chance to unwind he couldn't do it.

"What's wrong with me…?" He muttered and pulled his up covers over his head.

A soft knock came on the door and he moaned. He was useless—who could want him now?

"Yes?" He called out and the door slid open, letting in a long beam of light into the pitch-black room.

"Friend Robin, there is an emergency."

It was Star.

He pulled the covers down from his head and sat up in bed, still shivering from the unexplainable cold. He promised himself he would take a break from fighting but an emergency was an emergency and now was not the time for rest.

Starfire took a step inside, staring at him in her worried way. "A boy named Speedy has come here to speak with us—and he wants to talk to you first."

"Speedy?"

That really caught his attention.

He moved to stand out of bed but slid from the covers and fell to his back on the floor, stuck on the side of the bed hidden from Starfire. He heard her worried moan but sat up and stared at her from over the bed.

"I'll get there when I get there. Just give me a moment to focus."

Head throbbing with every heart beat, he somehow managed to stand and slowly trudged after Starfire. She waited in the doorway for him and walked by his side until they entered the main room.

Speedy sat by the kitchen counter, smiling at first at Robin until his grin faded to a look as worried as Starfire's.

"You look pale." The old friend said. "Caught a ghost, did ya?"

"Caught a flu." Beast Boy corrected.

Raven and Cyborg trailed in after Robin had taken a seat on the couch, leaning his chin on the back of the seat to look over toward Speedy. He was still dressed in his full costume in case he had felt good enough to fight again in the same day—fat chance that was now! Who knew how long a flu could last for a guy who hadn't had one in seven years. Being fifteen…that was a good _half-of-a-life_ ago.

'Really that long?' He thought.

"Hey, Speedy." Cyborg grinned. Raven said nothing and sat next to Robin on the couch, giving him the same look everyone did when they looked at him.

Speedy turned away from Robin and smiled back at the half-human, half-robot hero. "I wish this was a happy meeting, but there's no rest for the wicked—or the good for that matter."

"You're not going to believe what he's got to say." Beast Boy said and shot a nervous glance at Robin.

"Why?" Robin asked. "If it's villain trouble—so what? A villain is a villain."

"Not when he is assisting you." Starfire said meekly. Her and Beast Boy backed away from Robin, trying to look happy save the perspiration on their foreheads.

'What's wrong with them?'

"Wouldn't that be a good thing?" Raven asked in her usual monotone voice, an eyebrow arching in suspicion as the two frightened heroes edged closer toward the door.

"Enough with the mystery." Robin sighed. "Just tell us what's wrong so we can get down to business, Speedy."

The boy nodded and continued. "Well, we at Titans East have been handling things fine until what I guess you guys would call a _'major villain'_ showed up. His name is the Ice King and you can only guess what his power is."

"Him?" Raven's eyebrow rose again, this time in interest. "He was on the news, freezing up your city, wasn't he?"

"We've been able to hold him at bay, but we heard news Jump City is his next stop as soon as he finishes the east. He has a secret partner who is interested in your city, and we've yet to discover who he is. He caught the others and I'm the only one left."

That was something. Robin would have said Slade, but Slade was dead. It had to be someone else—perhaps someone they met before…

"Anyway…" Speedy glanced at Beast Boy and Starfire, just as confused about them as was everyone else in the room. "We've only been able to hold him at bay because his last partner ditched him after a major disagreement. The Ice King has been working on a machine that will control the weather all over the world, and the last partner has the missing piece to his machine. He also knows how to destroy the machine and sneak into the Ice King's palace _if_ we help him get something back from the guy."

"Do you know what it is?" Cyborg asked.

"He'll only tell use once we're in and we're insured a victory."

Raven glanced at Beast Boy and Starfire who looked as pale as Robin. "Who is it?" She had to ask.

Speedy shrugged. "Some guy that goes by the name of—"

"—Speedy…can we talk to you in private?" Beast Boy interrupted, still sweating. "Look at how stressed Robin looks? You should get some shut-eye, Rob, and leave this to the rest of us."

Robin was pretty shocked. What on earth had gotten into them? Sure, he was tired and sore—but he wasn't too worried about that. He could help in some way with the mission anyhow and get well rested later on. Besides, he couldn't sleep even if he wanted to.

"I'm _fine_." He snapped at Beast Boy and then looked to Speedy. "Who is it? Is he here with you?"

Speedy nodded. "Yes. Actually, he's outside."

The door to the main room slid open, revealing to them the eerie darkness of the hallway.

"Or…_not_…" Speedy said. "Oh well—you might as well meet him. After all, we need him to complete the mission."

Robin squinted behind his mask and stared at the dark silhouette in the doorway. It looked so familiar…maybe he did know the guy.

Starfire and Beast Boy slid away from the doorway and stepped behind a confused Cyborg, mouths shut tight in fear. Whoever it was, he got them spooked—but Robin didn't fear much of anyone.

"You can come in, you know." Robin called out to the man before coughing. "If you're helping us we have no reason to attack."

"Even if you are a villain." Cyborg finished, glancing under his arm at a shivering Starfire.

"Maybe it is for the best that you leave the room, Friend Robin." Starfire squeaked. "You are in no condition for fighting—or greeting."

Robin was quite confused. He stood and crossed his arms. "Later, Star."

"_But perhaps it is best for your health that you rest_."

Cyborg, Raven, and Robin froze in that instant, all three staring off into the darkness of the hall. The silhouette became clear as the dark figure stepped forward into the light of the room to reveal himself as none other than—

"_Slade_…" Robin gasped, much to his displeasure. Why couldn't it have been someone else—he would have rather been locked up for life in jail with the Joker and Two-Face as his inmates than team up with his nemesis.

"But you're dead!" Cyborg exclaimed.

"Obviously I'm not."

"Not for long, anyway." Robin hissed and reached into a compartment of his utility belt for a birdarang. This he threw at Slade before anyone could speak, but Raven was one step ahead of him. She caught the disk with her powers an inch away from Slade's face and allowed it to explode harmlessly within the dark sphere.

"Unless you want to destroy this place, I suggest you leave the fighting for later." She explained. "Besides, we have more important things to focus on."

"But he can't be trusted!" Robin pointed out, his headache seeming ten times as worse. "He tried to kill us and he succeeded in destroying Terra—we can't work with _him_!"

"My, my. What a temper." Slade replied in his ever-cool deep hypnotic voice. It sent shivers along everyone's spines. "You haven't changed a bit."

"And neither have you." Robin snapped. "I don't know what you're up to, but there is no way this is going to work."

"Oh? And what do you suggest?"

Robin pulled out his Bo-staff. As sick as he was feeling, nothing could dampen the fire burning away at his soul. He had to defeat Slade once and for all and now was his chance.

Raven sent Robin a warning glare. "I said later."

He hesitated, but common sense prevailed and he retracted his Bo-staff, placing it back inside it's proper compartment on his belt. He would get his chance again, and then he would make Slade pay for everything he had done to him and his friends in the past.

A monster was always a monster—you had to kill it before it became anything worse.

Speedy had stared at them all in an odd manner the entire time, but now his stiff shoulders relaxed and he looked from the criminal mastermind to the Boy Wonder with an eyebrow arched much in the same fashion as Raven.

"Now that that's settled." The guest hero sighed. "Any questions?"

How'd you like it? I know I'm not the best writer, but at least my sister isn't making me watch her tape again tonight. I like the show—but not that much.

Questions to ponder: Do you think Slade will keep on the Titan's good side the whole time? More importantly—can Robin keep a lid on his fury, or will it get the best of him before they can stop the Ice King? And who is the secret partner of the Ice King? He/she must want something pretty good, don't ya think?


	2. Chapter two: Ice city

Chapter Two: The Teams:

Robin sat in the back of Cyborg's car with Speedy. Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire were flying to the east and Slade had his _own_ means of transportation that were still a mystery to Robin. It was driving him insane knowing he had Slade right in front of him and he couldn't touch him—_yet_, anyway. The moment the Ice King was arrested he was going to be on Slade's heels like a cat after a mouse. The only thing that bothered him was the fact that the chance of him being the mouse and Slade being the cat were greater. Slade had him on the spot once before when he made him his apprentice—and the only reason he escaped that fate was because his friends showed up.

Speedy elbowed him gently in the ribs. "Lighten up, bud." He grinned. "You look like you just died but haven't quite started to rot yet."

"_Cough-cough-cough_! I'm not dead—but I'll get to that stage soon enough." He shivered and rubbed his shoulders. He had put a light jacket on so that his cape still flowed out freely, and around his neck was a tight red scarf Starfire gave him a long time ago around the time when they first met. He wasn't exactly at the right temperature, but at least he was warmer than he had been all of yesterday. The thought of working with Slade again had kept him up all night—and that wasn't a good thing when you were sick.

Speedy patted him on the shoulder. "Cheer up, mate. Winter's only here for a quarter of the year. You'll get over that flu of yours soon enough and then you'll love the snow again."

Snow… The word alone made him shiver. Snow was cold, and he hated being cold.

"When was the last time you had a vacation?" Speedy asked, watching as Robin fell into another fit of dry coughs with his hand in a fist over his mouth.

Robin tried to think about that one… That would have been—No…that wasn't a vacation… Well…

Had he ever taken one before?

"Is being hospitalized included?" He asked.

Speedy blinked.

---

Starfire froze in the air, Raven pausing beside her. Beast Boy found a perch on a nearby tree and they all stared in amazement at the city of Titans East. It was…a winter wonderland.

"How beautiful…" Starfire breathed in awe. Almost every building was encased in a thick layer of ice, and those that were spared were still turned white with a thin layer of frost. Just about everything was covered in snow—all things sparkling like diamonds beneath a glass case in a jewelry shop. Everything glistened and slightly burned the eyes of the three heroes, a magnificent and deadly beauty they couldn't help but admire. Yes, it was cold—and yes, people were trapped and possibly dying, but it was a sight to behold.

"How long did it take him to do this?" Raven asked aloud. "It's…it's…"

"Spooky!" Beast Boy exclaimed, transforming into his normal self and landing in a huge pile of snow beneath his perch. Shivering, he changed into a polar bear and sat in the snow, continuing to stare at the frozen city in wonder.

"Beast Boy is right." Starfire sighed. "It is pretty, but pretty things are usually poisonous or hurt you when you least expect it (like that spider she picked up during the summer at the park). We must check the place out and find anyone who is injured or in danger."

"Didn't Speedy say that the city was evacuated?" Raven asked, trying hard not to shiver in the cold.

"But his companions are still in there and others may be trapped."

Beast Boy growled in his polar bear form, a groan of exhaustion. They had been traveling all morning and there was still no sight of the others—Slade, especially. They were just waiting for him to pop out from somewhere and stab them in the back, but that seemed more or less Robin's job to be paranoid about the guy. Beast Boy had enough reason to be T-ed off at the man for Terra, but Robin most of all.

"We should wait for the others." Raven suggested, glancing over her shoulder at the snow covered highway leading into the seemly deserted city.

"But we might be needed." Starfire complained, and started toward the city at full speed through the air. She would never forgive herself if someone was hurt or killed just because she was late.

Raven started to protest, but swallowed her words and followed after Starfire, Beast Boy right behind her. If they were going to do something about the situation, they had might as well start now.

---

An abandoned warehouse downtown was his lair, made into something wonderful by his power over ice. No one could get in or out without his permission and even if someone managed to break in, the security cameras he put up around the place would inform him of any intrusions. He had already frozen four of the five bratty super heroes in blocks of ice that had sought to defeat him, forced into a deep slumber until melted, but the leader—Speedy—had somehow managed to escape. Last he heard from his minions, the young leader headed toward Jump City for the aid of the original Teen Titans. When he returned, all of hell would freeze over.

How exciting.

Nothing could be recognized in his fortress of ice, and he himself would not be spotted as long as he stayed out of the direct light. A sudden burst of his powers had turned his very body to ice, a figure translucent in some places, transparent in others. If he stood still someone might mistake him as an ice sculpture, and that was exactly what gave him the advantaged in his fortress when the Titans East came. No one could spot him in the glory of his brilliant lair.

They had had enough trouble trying to keep their balance on his ice.

He chuckled to himself from the memory of their futile battle, but the icy smile on his face somehow flowed into one of a frown. He spun around and glared at the large piece of machinery in the center of the room, a control panel that was attached to the ceiling and rooted to the floor by hundreds of thick black cables. All he needed was that one piece, but he had to be patient. He would get it in due time, and then the world would be at the mercy of his hurricanes and blizzards, subject to the destruction he could create. He could make countries go through the worst of droughts and pay for a single day of rain. He could simply murder thousands in the blink of an eye if he wanted to—why not? He had been rejected all his life because of his strange powers. Now was his chance for revenge.

Revenge…what a sweet word. But alliances were required, even if he did somehow manage to gain control over the world's weather. People would still oppose him—the JLA and the Titans of course—and even when they perished someone new would step up to continue the battle. That was the second reason he had a partner—who he desperately needed to speak to. Time was wasting and he was growing quite impatient.

---

Starfire shot her starbolt with correct accuracy and hit the iceman dead on. He was much like the stone creations of her perished friend Terra, but these monsters were pure ice. They made no sound from their mouths, just stomped around mindlessly as they tried to catch the three Titans. At first Starfire had fought on foot, but the icy streets proved it too difficult to walk. Taking flight, all three Titans were able to fight back without much trouble at all. Not many icemen came after that, and they did not regenerate after destruction—a battle well won.

After the last iceman was taken out by the swoop of the green pterodactyl Beast Boy, all three landed on the ground and tried to stand properly. However, they quickly took flight again after the T-car came skidding dangerously around the corner and slid past them with the brakes screeching as Cyborg tried to gain control. It only managed to stop before it hit a building when Raven halted it with her powers. Even then they all held their breaths.

The front door swung open and Cyborg stepped out, one hand on the back of his head as he tried to focus. All three boys who had ridden inside were dizzy from the ride, and it didn't help much when they started to slid around unwillingly on the ice.

Beast Boy swooped down to grab Cyborg, Raven lifted Speedy with her powers. And Starfire caught Robin around the waist just before he fell. They both blushed a deep red as they lifted up into the air to converse with their companions.

"The Ice King has the machine in an abandoned warehouse in the center of the city." Speedy explained. "I tried to get in before, but that place is a maze. The Ice King had my friends frozen before we were in there for five minutes."

"That brings upon the question of where the heck Slade is." Cyborg muttered, glancing around at the icy city. "We can't do squat without him."

"And we can't land anywhere without slipping." Raven pointed out.

"Not to mention the men of ice." Starfire added. "They were most unpleasant."

"Wait until you see what other frozen monsters the Ice King has up his sleeves." Speedy chuckled. "This guy has a wild imagination—but that's beside the point. When the others and I entered his lair, there were two possible ways to get to the main room where he kept the machine. There's a third, but you have to access it from underground and that's up to Slade's team to handle, which reminds me…"

Speedy looked at Raven and then Starfire. "Do you two think you can enter his lair through one of the two main entrances?"

Raven nodded and Starfire smiled.

"Good. Cyborg—Beast Boy, do you guys think you can take the second entrance?"

"Boo-yah, dude!" Cyborg laughed from his seat atop Beast Boy's back and Beast Boy screeched in agreement.

"Fine—" Then Speedy looked to Robin. "You and I are going to take the underground route with Slade. You don't have to fight—just keep an eye on Slade. I take it you two go a long way's back?"

"Too long…" Robin muttered, but he nodded. He wanted to be near Slade anyway. Like he promised himself before—the moment they were insured victory, he wanted to take Slade down, and nothing was going to stop him this time.

He wasn't going to lose.

"Do you hear that?" Starfire asked.

They paused to listen and finally picked up the sound. It was a hum—of a jet or something.

Sure enough, a large aircraft landed easily on a nearby roof without slipping around on the thick ice. It was painted black, but the spiked orange 'S' on either wing stood out to Robin's eyes. Slade was here.

He was late.

The three flying heroes took their land bound companions to the roof and stood them steadily in the slippery ice. Somehow the boys found their balance and managed to stay standing as one of the side doors slid open and fifteen Slade-bots stormed out, each one as dark and menacing as the last. But the androids did not attack. They stood mindlessly, perfectly still as they waited for their creator to step onto the roof.

Hands behind his back, Slade stood with perfect balance on the ice and took a good look at it before staring at the six heroes.

"Slippery, isn't it?" He commented.

"Thought you'd never come." Robin muttered. "Surprise, surprise."

Ten of Slade's robots marched forward and the heroes began to wonder. Starfire couldn't help but allow her hands and eyes to glow a brilliant green and Robin couldn't help but frown.

"You have every reason not to trust me." Slade sighed. "But I mean business. They will accompany the two teams who are to storm the Ice King's lair from the front while I, and whoever tags along, sneak in the back door. I trust you've decided who's doing what?"

Speedy nodded.

"Then let's get this over and done with. I'm late enough as it is for something else."

Raven and Starfire took flight, five of the robots jumping off the side of the building to follow them with surprising agility on the ice. Cyborg hoped back onto Beast Boy's back and they too took off with five robots taking off after them by foot. That left Speedy and Robin alone with Slade on the roof.

An eerie silence hung in the air for a long time. Speedy held his tongue and allowed the two enemies to stare daggers at one another. Well, Robin was really the only one frowning. You could never really tell what expression Slade had on his face with his one-eyed mask.

"Shall we then?" Slade asked and stepped back onto his aircraft, disappearing into the darkness.

Speedy took a slippery step forward but made it to the aircraft okay. Robin, on the other hand, had suddenly found perfect balance and strode toward the plane with the same frown still upon his face. Both stepped onboard cautiously, but nothing jumped out to grab them. However, the door did slam shut behind them and they were suddenly plunged into a frightening darkness, causing both boys to jump.

Slade laughed.

Okay, I haven't been working on this because I've been too busy with "Blast to the Supposed Past" and the sequel attached to the same web-page "Allow Me to Live like You" I absolutely forgot about this one and I'll have to jog my memory to remember the whole plot. And thank you to those of you that read this boring little story anyway.

-Bows

-Alexnandru Van Gordon


	3. Chapter three: An odd feeling

I can tell you this with absolute honesty that I actually forgot about this story until I opened my hotmail and found a review for the last chapter. Oops. Sorry, you guys, but I've been so preoccupied with "Blast to the Supposed Past" and "Allow Me to Live Like You" That I have had ZERO time to work on this one. That's why you'll have to excuse me if these are short. I'll have more time on my hands to make them longer after I'm done.

Anyway—enjoy!

Chapter Three: An Odd Feeling:

True to his word, the warehouse was hard to find, and an absolute maze inside—when you found the bloody entrance to the place. Raven and Starfire were attacked by more icemen, but Slade's robots aided them in taking them out in record timing. Cyborg and Beast Boy came shortly after and the fourteen of them stood in silence at the break in the dark, icy passageway in. There were two choices for directions and both appeared the same.

"Well, good luck, y'all." Cyborg said, still seated atop Beast Boy. The two boys and their five robots headed down the passageway to the right, leaving only one choice left for the girls.

"I hope we find Speedy's friends soon." Starfire whispered. "This place is creepy." One of her hands glowed in response to her fright and she held it up above her head to add extra light in their direction.

They started down in the dreadful silence, the passageway growing darker with each step regardless of Starfire's light. The Slade-bots' eyes began to glow and added to their light, but they failed to outshine the growing fear in the alien girl's heart. She was worried they would get lost, but she was worried even more about something else.

Robin.

She did not trust Slade—she just knew the two would battle before their job was done. Perhaps she should have teamed up with him instead? Perhaps they should have never teamed up with the villain.

No. They…_needed_ him to defeat the Ice King. Starfire could only imagine how this was eating away at Robin from the inside out. Being sick was one thing—teaming up with your worst enemy was another. The Titans were only lucky Raven had prevented any earlier fights—

"What if Robin and Slade begin to fight now?" Starfire suddenly asked Raven.

Raven and the robots halted.

"Who—each other?"

"Yes…" Starfire bit her lower lip. "They are worst enemies. On my planet, it is hard to put old feuds behind and worst enemies never cease to fight unless one has complete victory. It is a rare thing to happen, but each one has been recorded in history."

Raven sighed and shook her head. "And what would be complete victory in this case?"

"Well—Slade or Robin might kill one another."

"Murder is something Slade is capable of, but I think he enjoys torturing Robin too much to kill him yet." Raven explained. "Besides, Speedy is watching his back. And Robin—no matter how much alike he might be to Slade—does not kill. Maybe accidentally—but never intentionally. He might be tough, but he's a hero at heart and heroes do not take lives for any reason whatsoever."

That seemed to help Starfire to relax. Raven was right—Raven was always right when it came to things as deep as this. Slade could not hurt Robin with Speedy watching his back and Robin would not intentionally kill Slade. Even if they did battle, Slade would probably flee to fight the Titans another day. He always did that no matter how annoying it was for Robin.

Smiling, she continued onward and the Slade-bots followed quietly. Their eyes continued to glow as they went over what they just heard. It was odd for them to comprehend why Slade wanted them to help the Titans, but an order was an order. They would follow each order given, to carry them out at the appropriate times.

-

The underground entrance turned out to be the underground subway. A hole had been created in one of the walls, a large tunnel leading slightly upward toward the warehouse. The third group walked up this one without running into any of the Ice Man's minions at all, a silent bunch that weren't in the mood for a battle anyway.

Robin's cape and scarf flowed out behind him as he brought up the rear of the group. Slade took the lead and all Robin dared to do at the present moment was stare a hole into the back of his metal-masked head. He wanted to tear it off and take a good look at who had taunted him for so long, but five of Slade's goons and a sensible Speedy stood between him and that wishful goal. He feared he would never figure out his identity before his death.

One of Slade's robots carried a rather large piece of machinery in its arms, two others holding miniature versions of it. Robin spent most of the quiet journey trying to figure out what they were until Speedy popped up the question.

"What are those anyway? Explosives?"

Slade continued to walk, but glanced over his shoulder to respond. "Not exactly. Think of fireworks. They don't harm you, but they set off one hell of a light show."

Speedy stared at the largest one. "What do you mean?"

Slade fell back slightly to walk abreast the young hero. "When detonated, they will release the minimal amount of heat required to melt the ice in this city without causing damage to anything else. All life should be evacuated, but when the people return at least everything will still be intact. The Ice Man should be murdered in the process, but what of it?"

"No. He'll be arrested." Robin corrected, and both teammates glanced over their shoulders at him.

"Oh? And why is that?" Slade asked in an interested voice.

Robin frowned. "Villain or not—killing him doesn't make it right. He was given life to live it—even if he spends the rest of it behind bars."

"Oh? And wouldn't you jump at the chance to kill your worst enemy?"

Robin frowned even harder. "No—just beat him to a bloody pulp—_then_ arrest him."

Slade chuckled. "Is that even possible? You're good—but you're not _perfect_."

He had no idea what was keeping him from lunging at Slade and slapping him across the face with his Bo-staff, but somehow he controlled himself. He was too ill to fight back seriously anyway, but the words brought back bad memories. He had been such a fool to go after Slade by himself the first time. How could he have been so stupid as not to release it was all a trap? Slade won an apprentice—even if it was for a short while. Slade had won…

"No one's perfect." Robin answered plainly. "I see you've been hiding for a while. Why fake your death? You're not afraid of a bunch of teenagers—are you?"

Slade's one eye narrowed. "If you're looking for a fight, I can assure you my schedule is free for the next little while after this whole ordeal is over and done with."

"I thought you were late enough already—but I'm looking forward to it."

Speedy sighed heavily, loud enough for both of them to hear. "Save your strength for later."

Slade ignored him. "You'll pay, Robin. The last laugh is mine. Besides—I think it's about time I taught you a thing or two."

"We'll see about that. Can't laugh behind bars—but I guess you could. Only insane people would do such a thing."

"_Later_!" Speedy exclaimed before Slade could rebuttal. "Let's just get this done—then you guys can hack away at each other with whatever weapon you get your hands on. I don't really care!"

They fell silent, but fury still lingered in the air.

-

Cyborg danced aside with a yelp, dodging the man sized icicle before it came crashing down on his head. The place he last stood was now a hole in the ground when the vicious point of the icy weapon pierced the ground. The icemen Starfire had spoken of were sure bigger—twice the size of Cyborg crouching. He had taken out two already with his cannon, but there were at least five left to deal with and they weren't as stupid as one would think.

Beast Boy was a T-rex on the other side of the room, chomping down on whatever he could get his mouth on. The hardness of the ice hurt his teeth and his gums were beginning to numb, but he kept at it. The icemen didn't stand a chance when they came too close to him.

Cyborg took out another iceman with his cannon, ice spraying everywhere as the others retreated down the hall. Two didn't make it, swarmed over by the Slade-bots sent by Slade to assist them. They weren't fast, but at least they could handle an iceman on their own.

Cyborg squinted. The end of the passageway was light, meaning only one thing—

"I think we've made it!" Cyborg called to Beast Boy as he transformed into his normal self. "Just a little further and we'll take down this dude in no time."

"Yah…" Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head. "But this is a little…simple. I mean, Speedy's team had one heck of a time trying to even step inside the place and here we are beating them left, right, and center."

"Hey, they're new to this kind of thing. Maybe they were caught by surprise."

Cyborg started down the passageway toward the light followed by the five Slade-bots. Beast Boy hesitated before following, moaning in worry at what lay ahead of them. Nothing seemed right—and yes, he was usually the one with all the wrong answers, but this was something different. He had the same feeling in his stomach when he left Terra to stop the volcano by herself, and that was something he still couldn't forgive himself for.

This was all wrong.

-

The icemen fled as soon as Raven's hands began to glow again. They stomped down the passageway toward a light at the far end, the five Slade-bots in hot pursuit of the enemy. They were berserk little androids, but they fought well.

"We have reached our destination!" Starfire exclaimed happily. "Oh joy! Now we can stop this new villain and assist Speedy in freeing his friends!"

"I don't know…" Raven said in her monotone voice. "Doesn't this feel a little…easy to you?"

"It does…but maybe the icemen are just as mindless as Cinderblock. They fight when they can and do not think with strategy. They may flee now in fright."

'Didn't look frightened to me.' Raven thought, but she glided after her beaming friend, a sick feeling growing in her stomach. Something was definitely wrong and she was going to find out what it was.

-

They had reached the place—the basement of the icy warehouse. There was nothing special about it—just the fact that it stretched out into a seemingly endless darkness.

The robot holding the largest machine placed it gently on the ground. It stood about chest height to Robin and the moment Slade pressed a couple of buttons the area warmed up. It became so warm, Robin was tempted to take off his scarf and jacket, ice melting quickly to water at the base of the machine.

Slade turned to Speedy and one of the robots holding the second machine. "I have many of these set up earlier in the city by my androids. Follow the android and set it up where it puts it down, then return so we can leave and get the others."

"How will you set these off?"

Slade showed him his wrist. "With the push of a button."

Robin shivered internally. All those bad memories came flooding back into his mind…

Speedy walked after the android into the darkness and Slade left with the third bomb in the opposite direction. Robin was left alone with four of his goons, but they were all as stiff as stone.

He then took off his jacket and scarf and placed it on the ground beside the machine, wondering what possible reason he had to have tagged along. Nothing out of the ordinary was happening so why was he…

He paused. Was that the sound of sloshing water?

Starting off into the darkness, he pulled out a small flashlight from his belt and moved forward for a short distance. He came to what appeared to be an underground dock leading to a large water tunnel deeper into the ground, small waves bouncing off the side of the dock to make the noise. Who knew where the tunnel ended?

Why was it that the whole city was trapped in ice when the villain's lair contained an underground water system? There was even a rather large motorboat docked, ready to go whenever.

Robin recalled during Speedy's briefing back at the T-tower that the Ice King's machine was something too large to move with ease. Why would the Ice King leave such a perfect hideout—and how, if he were to take his machine with him? The only other explanation was that it was meant for someone else to use by permission of the Ice King.

His partner.

Robin began to wonder. He was close now to finding the Ice King's partner—a second villain to throw away behind bars.

But something was amiss… What was the Ice King doing in return for his partner…?

Weird, eh? I guess I should hunker down and get typing. I have to write the next chapter for this one, for another story, and I have to find my planner book for "Not Again." I kinda forgot about that one, and you could also expect another story from me soon. Writing is my life, but I don't like to keep my readers waiting.

-Thanking you for your patience

-Alexnandru Van Gordon


	4. Chapter four: The twist

My Enemy…

Alexnandru Van Gordon

I have been seriously meaning to change my title from 'the enemy of my enemy is a friend of mine' because that is just so long and stupid and corny and…I could go on. And for those of you who know my cousin, Victor—you can thank him for the continuation of this story. I have no idea where I was going with this but, what the heck, why not wing it? If it hadn't automatically popped up after I fixed Word I would have forgotten it even existed…

**Last Time: **Oh—and I know you're all pretty peeved at me, but you might want to backtrack if you forgot the plot. BB and CYBORG were heading down one tunnel toward the main room, RAVEN and STARFIRE in another (both teams defeating the Ice King's—and why did I pick that name?—Icemen…people-like…guards with strange ease). SPEEDY, SLADE and ROBIN split up in the basement with Speedy and Slade going off to set the detonation while Robin found a small underground river with a motorboat in the dark. He wonders if it belongs to the King's supposed partner…

CHAPTER FOUR: The twist

"Wow…a light at the end of the tunnel." Beast Boy mused, tired and cranky from all the fighting as he trudged on along after Cyborg. "Why do I get that animal instinct of danger ahead?"

"Because you're cold, always annoying, and really starting to get on my nerves." Cyborg muttered, glancing over his shoulder at the green changeling. "Man, lighten up. You look like you're guilty of some crime."

He glared at the robots marching beside him and his teammate. "It's called suspicion, and yeah…since when did a major villain help us this much?" He poked at one of the slade-bots and eyed it curiously when it didn't react. "Dude—weren't these things originally programmed to kill us or something…?"

"I know you hate doing this job as much as I do, but as soon as we save the rest of the Titans East and get this Ice guy behind bars—you can blow up as many of these tin men as you want to."

How he would blow them up in the first place was beyond his understanding—sounded more like something Robin would do—but he would make sure to put as much distance as he could between him and the robotic army for as long as he could manage. Slade would attack sooner or later, but hopefully it would be the latter of the two.

"Yeah, yeah—the enemy of my enemy is a friend of mine, but that still doesn't mean they're not an enemy."

Cyborg sighed at the comment, inwardly agreeing with his worried companion. The only place the Titans wanted Slade to go was behind bars—on some remote island where no one would ever find—or save—him. The man was full of unexpected (and unwanted) surprises, each one shoving the thorn further into their sides. It was doing quite the number on their leader's stress level and worse for their morale…What happens when every villain they come across becomes unbeatable?

"Looks like we're here…" Cyborg said, stepping closer to the opening in the dark tunnel. Shading his eyes with one hand, he stepped into the main room, squinting. "Beast Boy, it's—"

Then he gasped.

-Ra-

"Are we almost there?" Starfire asked, levitating lazily in the air next to Raven as they continued down the tunnel. If it led to the main room then Raven would have to call Cyborg and the others on their communicators to lead them to the Ice King's location, but something deep inside her warned her to turn back. The atmosphere was…uneasy…

"Just give it a minute, Star." She sighed. "And get ready in case of another attack."

"So cold…" The alien girl murmured, hands rubbing each arm.

Even Raven had to admit the temperature was doing a number on her speed and strength. After all, it was palace made of ice. She moved slower than she wanted to and even chanting in the back of her mind couldn't keep away the chilly sting of the cold. She wanted nothing more than to complete the mission and get home ASAP, brew up some tea while she was at it…

"Perhaps we should hurry?" Star suggested; flying faster than what the robots on foot could keep up to at first. "What if the others are already there?"

True. They would obviously want to have back up if they ran into any trouble and this frigged place the others would be troubled as well. It made her think if it was really such a good idea to have Robin tag along. After all, he was pretty sick and that didn't happen too often…

"Finally…" She sighed quietly to herself, squinting as the light blinded her momentarily. "We're—"

She halted immediately in mid-air when she entered the room, Starfire almost colliding into her from behind. There…what…

"This was most unexpected…"

Raven nodded. "Only partially…"

-R-

Curiosity was a wicked thing when you had many enemies and a knack for getting yourself into danger…especially for him. He knew his time was limited before Slade or Speedy returned and who knew when the so-called partner would show up? He suspected Slade…but that could just be his obsessive self. If he could make up excuses for the man to go to hell, he'd have a couple thousand…

Checking over his shoulder for anyone in the dark, he stepped down into the boat and began to look around. A few small crates, weight-height to him, sat at the back of the boat, covered with a blue tarp. Throwing it off, his eyes widened.

**W**AYNE**E**NTERPRISES

WARNING: Handle with care. Contains highly explosive material.

"Wonder where that came from…" He muttered angrily. What better time to loot the city then when it was frozen over? No one was around to stop them or report anything from the Wayne Enterprises branch that the crates were stolen.

Reaching to his utility belt, he slipped out a batarang and held it on the edge of the lid. Sliding the blade under and pulling up, the lid popped off and fell beside his feet as he gazed down at the stolen material.

Row after row of long cylinder cases sat piled in the box, a rich red liquid possessive a slight glow filling each one.

…Xinothium?

Highly explosive alright…Couldn't let anyone take a walk with this.

"Damn thieves…" He reached to his belt for his communicator. "Something always goes wrong—"

"_And it always gets worse."_

He spun around and threw the birdarang in his hand, frowning when he dodged. Why wasn't he surprised? Who else would want to steal Xinothium?

"_You should watch where you chuck those things…You could really hurt someone."_ X stood casually calm on the dock, arms crossed as he stared after the weapon until it disappeared into the darkness. The _whsping_ sound died down gently and he returned his attention back to the Boy Wonder. _"Then again, you seem to be lacking in aim—oomphf!"_ Head first, he started falling forward, but corrected himself as he cart-wheeled his arms. The birdarang dropped behind him after colliding with the back of his head, Robin grinning at the first hit.

"It returns."

"_I never figured you for a cheater. Then again, you are an obsessive detective."_

"Which prompts the first question—what do you plan to do with Xinothium if you don't have the belt?" He took another birdarang from his belt. "I thought you knew how to add."

"_I'm not that stupid, Boy Wonder. And you look pale."_ He titled his head to one side. _"Stress getting to be too much for you?"_

Damn flu…

"_No answer? That's fine. We can leave the chit chat for later…"_ Red reached to his own belt, a make-shift of his own design in place of the Xinothium fueled one. From there he pulled a small silver sphere. _"Right now there's work to be done."_

"What—" He was interrupted when Red threw the sphere to his feet, a thick cloud of white smoke erupting from the small explosive. It spread out over the boat and lake like a sailor's mist and blinded him from far sight instantly. He could barely see his own hands, let alone breathe.

Coughing he waved the cloud away from his face, trying to find his way to the dock. Red wouldn't run. The thief's ego wouldn't allow for him to head tails right when the Xinothium was out where he could get it. Not to mention Red wanted to get back at Robin just as much as the hero wanted to get back at him.

Running wasn't an option.

Something hit the boat and it rocked heavily. Caught off balance, Robin stepped around and held onto the boat railing as it slowed to a halt. Well…at least Red was on the boat, but perhaps fighting on water wasn't the best of ideas, especially with a bunch of Xinothium on board.

Pulling out his bo-staff he extended the end and waited perfectly still until he could see something, returning his communicator to his belt. The mist would die eventually. He just had to wait for…

Something black was seen in a swirl of mist, moved by the air in motion. It was gone as soon as it came but Robin struck out all the same. He nearly hit something, until, of course, something hit him first. Instead of striking down his target something harder connected with the back of his head and he fell to the ground with an awful thud. Rolling on his back he expected to see Red, but as the clouds cleared…

"Curiosity hurts, Robin." Slade droned out. "I thought you would have known that by now."

He was on his feet the moment he saw him, bo-staff held ready again. He knew he was right not to trust the man, but why would that be? Let's see…murderer, thief, kidnapper, evil mastermind…

"Yeah, but satisfaction heals all."

"Is that so?" Hands placed behind his back, Slade looked him over with his one eye. "You're going to fight? Perhaps it would have been for the best had you stayed home."

"Not with my team here." He snapped. "Not with you here either."

"Hm…trust is such a hard thing to create."

Enough chat. "Where are the Titans East? Something tells me finding them won't be convenient."

"You're right in saying that…" Slade's eye moved over Robin's shoulder. "But you'll be seeing much of them soon."

He barely had time to turn around before he saw, and remembered, X. The thief landed a sure blow to Robin's forehead and his head snapped back as he went flying with the force. Colliding with his worst enemy, the world suddenly darkened…

-Sp-

He knew the Boy Wonder had a knack for getting into trouble, but he at least thought the kid would stay and watch the evil android army of four left by the basement entry. When he returned the only thing he found was the robots and Robin's jacket and scarf left by the machine, soaking wet from the melting ice.

"Tell me you didn't vaporize him." He arched an eyebrow behind his mask. "And don't tell me he melted either..."

None of the four answered, all stiff as stone. He began to wonder why they were even there (probably to fight if Robin went loco), and was about to ask when someone called out behind him.

"Finished, I see."

He didn't exactly trust Slade in the beginning, but his curiosity began to stir now that Robin was nowhere to be found. With his luck, the kid was probably wandering around somewhere trying to find the lost clues no one else cared to find. It made sense, and it would be a convenient excuse…

"Where's, Robin?"

He was about to ask that question, but he could keep his suspicions in the dark for a while longer. "Don't ask me. I just got here."

Slade spotted the jacket and scarf, staring at them for a while before he turned toward his androids. "Where is he?" He asked.

One of the four turned his head, staring back the way they came.

"Off to help his friends is my best guess." Then the man turned toward the large machine. "My work is far from finished here. Perhaps you should warn them to leave before I set this off."

Robin off to fight with his friends…somehow that didn't sound like too good of an idea, considering how sick he was. And then there was going to be a flood. Normally Speedy would call them on the communicator, but his only connected with those of the other East members. To communicate with the original Titans he'd have to use the computer at his tower which was…currently frozen over and coated in ice.

If Robin would have stayed he could have used Boy Wonders.

"Fighting freak." He muttered under his breath and started at a quick sprint back up the small slope into the darkness. Maybe if he hurried he could get the others out of their before Slade acted like his usual villain self again and set off the melting machine with them still in their…

-A-

Hmmm…If anyone actually reads this then I guess I'll continue. It was a nice change of plot after Not Again and Blast…which reminds me of what I have to do next. And I'm sorry if this chapter was boring…Wow, I really have nothing important to say. It's almost nine a.m. so…I guess I should get ready for class…yep…bye…

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	5. Chapter five: Speedy to the rescue?

My Enemy

Alexnandru Van Gordon

This is probably the worst story I ever dared to post on fanfiction, and I know—and want—to be working on my next chapter to Not Again, but because this was my first story I shared with anyone and one that was inspired by something my **dad** told me—I'm working on this chapter instead. It's his birthday on the sixteenth and, even though he probably won't get around to reading it, I'm dedicating this chapter to him (no matter how horrible it may seem). Despite as independent as we'd all like to think we are, there's always someone up there that we're looking up to. I have a couple of idols but my dad gave me the courage to start writing.

_Happy Birthday, Dad._

CHAPTER FIVE: Speedy to the rescue…

How stupid can one guy get? Why on earth would the worst enemy of his friends care if they got out of there in time before the heat wave went off? And, here's the second point that really ticked him off—since when did Robin wander off on his own when he was weak? He was alone, in a dark place underground, his worst enemy lurking around somewhere…and then—BANG! He disappeared. The kid was obsessive and a hard hitter—but he was far from stupid.

It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was really going on.

The Titans would be fine on their own. They'd fought and won more lost causes then anyone their age could ever have hoped to achieve. And wasn't it those same kids who were helping Speedy's own team out at that very moment? Besides, the place was warming up and Speedy could feel it. If they were clueless to a melting city, that was their own fault.

Spinning around in his sprint, he started back down the large dark tunnel for the basement. Chances were, Robin stumbled across something and he was either still checking it out, KO'd, or fighting someone who discovered him. In any case, Robin would be the first to suffer if Slade set the major heat wave off while he was still down there.

Find the missing people first. The _un_-missing people didn't _need_ to be found…

Leave the Titans to the Ice guy for now.

Muttering under his breath, he cursed his own damn self for falling for an old excuse like that. _Memo to self_—never believe a villain when they say they don't know where someone is. Chances are, they off-ed them when you weren't looking…

-C-

"Dude…this is so not fair…"

And he couldn't agree more with the small green changeling. When you were amp-ed up to blow some ice man to smithereens, and ended up running into an empty room, you tended to blow a little steam. The tunnel entrance on the other side of the large, dome like room held hope that maybe he had just a little further to go before they reached their goal, but when Starfire and Raven showed up instead…you can imagine the turmoil.

Staring up at the icy-glazed walls, he shut down his arm cannon and kicked up the small film of snow coating the ground. "Man—this is just stupid! Someone played us like—"

"A flute." Starfire interrupted. She soared a little higher, expecting the ten foot wide circle cut out into the ceiling. Outside was nothing but blue skies, the warm sunshine flooding in and illuminating the glassy room bright enough to blind a person. "We have been fooled, yes?"

"You can bet someone's laughing at us." Raven muttered, lowering to the ground until she stood. "We fought our way through pointless obstacles only to be met with nothing."

Beast Boy wasn't as low-voiced as her, stamping around like an angry troll and tearing at his hair. "It's hot, we've wasted the whole morning fighting, and now we have no idea where East is! That Ice Dude must think he's_ sooooooo _smart…"

"Or Slade." Raven corrected. "I don't see the man here. He must be in another one of the buildings."

"So…he's the Ice Guy's partner or something?"

"Possibly. The heat wave might only be great enough to melt the ice of this building…"

"So...he means to drown us?" Starfire hovered down closer to their heads. "That was the deal—to destroy us?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "Makes sense…but three of us can fly and Cyborg can just hitch a ride—there's a hole in the ceiling! Look!"

Cyborg rolled his eyes. "Yeah…I know…Star, check it, would ya?"

With a nod she rose again, stopping just short of the hole in caution and pulled back a fist. With a loud battle cry she rammed it upward—and was met with something solid. There was a loud _thunk_ and she pulled back her throbbing hand, wincing as she landed beside her friends.

"It is…how you say,_ invincible_?" She admitted sourly. "It is there to…mock us?"

"Mock us…" Beast Boy growled. He crossed his arms and stared up at the bright blue sky above, a puffy white cloud drifting by overhead. "It's just here to lead us to this…"

"Corral." Raven said. Pointing to the entrance she and Starfire came from, she gestured to the robots lining up, ready to fight. "Someone thinks they're leading us to a slaughterhouse."

Yep. This was a set-up alright and they should have known it from the beginning. Rule number one—never side with your worst enemy! Once an enemy, always an enemy at heart.

Tensing, each hero took a fighting stance and prepared themselves for the worst.

How could they have been so naïve…?

Then the enemy advanced.

-R-

He came to a short while after he was knocked out, hearing the soft sound of water sloshing against the boat and feeling it rock before he dared to opened his eyes. He could see X's back, the thief re-piling the crates of Xinothium and covering them back up before turning and noticing that Robin was awake. The two rivals just stared at each other at first, thinking what to do, and Robin could almost sense the unease in X's posture—that is, before the thief straightened, crossed his arms and took on his cocky personality again, staring at the tied up hero.

"_Wow, you don't sleep long. Is that an insomniac kind of thing or is there some other secret about you that no one's knows yet…?"_

"What's that supposed to mean?" He snapped. He could have chosen to ignore the thief, but he was too ticked off at the young man to leave things be. If not for him he probably would have been able to do something about the stolen Xinothium…or soon to be stolen, in any case…

"_I'm just thinking about how you're really my predecessor of the whole Red-X thief gig. I didn't think someone like you would go so far as that to get a little info on your worst enemy's plans. Really—it shocks me."_

"Yeah right." Robin muttered. "Which reminds me—what's with teaming up? I thought you enjoyed going solo, and I know you're _partner_ hates working with an equal."

"_Hey—who cares what a person likes or dislikes." _He shrugged. _"I steal for him; he helps me replicate that belt you made. Word is, I heard you destroyed."_

…He never told anyone about that, but what did it matter? The belt was destroyed and the chances were no one could replicate it without Robin's help—and was that ever going to happen? Never.

"As I recall, it only takes one batch of Xinothium to juice the belt for about half a life-time. You need eight crates full _because_...?"

"_I'm not greedy—who says all of this is for me?"_ X patted the top of one of the covered crates. _"Looks like your nemesis is going to blow Jump to kingdom-come before he melts Steel out of its ice age. Think of Noah's flood in miniature form…wow, boy is that going to be a long head count for the people at the morgue…"_

"I thought Slade was working with that Ice guy?" If the man could freeze over an entire city in one day, he must have had _at least_ something powerful enough to grab Slade's attention. "I thought he wanted something from Slade?"

"_And there's something Slade wants from him, but he's going take without permission—it's called double-crossing, and I know you're familiar with that. As for what he wants…let's leave that tale for another—"_

A flash of red flew over Robin's head where he sat on the boat floor, and knocked X over the side into the water before the thief could react.

"Too bad. Just when it was getting interesting…" Speedy clapped his hands together as though brushing off dust. "Not a bad side kick, if I do say so myself. I tried one of your back flips once but that ended in disaster…" Then the archer grinned and turned to stare at Robin, hands on his hips. Shaking his head, he looked the Boy Wonder over. "Comfy? I hope you still have circulation to your hands and feet."

"Took you long enough."

"Hey—I can leave you here if you want?"

"…"

"…You're welcome." Speedy chuckled, then knelled by his feet and began untying the rope around his ankle. His hands were tied behind his back but Robin was already working away at that. "Jeez, if you're this peeved-off every time something goes wrong, I wonder how snappy you'd be if kept in captivity."

"Thanks…" He said meekly. "And yeah. I can be a little thick-headed when things don't go my way."

"Don't feel bad. I'm a red-head. I lose my temper more often than anyone I know."

"And how did you get here without Slade knowing—my impression was that he knocked you out or something before he ganged up with X against me." Ankle's finally free; he leaned forward a bit as Speedy leaned behind him to help with his hands. "Did you get him before you came across me?"

"No actually…" Speedy thought back in contemplation. "Actually, yes…in a way. I set the charges like he asked and then he came back to work on that other machine. I was led to believe that you were upstairs, but I spun around once I realized who I was dealing with." He pulled the ropes off Robin's wrists and helped him up. "While I was looking for you I saw no one—not even those bots of his. The only guy I got a hit on is that weird kid in black with a red x…"

Trailing off, both boy's stepped to the other side of the boat and gazed down at the calm waters.

"Hope he didn't drown on me. That would really do a number on my conscience…"

"_Wouldn't dream of it, kid."_

They spun around and saw the thief standing on the dock, soaking wet from head to toe. Water dripped around his feet and, considering his posture, he wasn't in a good mood.

"_Piece of advice, Boy Wonder—make the next suit with something that doesn't soak up water like a sponge. Drowning isn't fun…"_

"Neither is getting shot…" Robin muttered. He'd almost been killed a number of different ways when he first started out as the side-kick of Gotham's Dark Knight.

"_You're_ suit?" Speedy inquired, staring at Robin in confusion. "You made that."

"Long story—"

"_And it's too late to chat." _ X reached to his temporary replacement belt and pulled out a second small black sphere. _"The clock is ticking, kids."_

"And you're time's up." Robin reached to his own belt—and found nothing. Staring down, he realized it was gone.

"Looking for this?"

Snapping his head up, he noticed Slade, walking forward from the darkness with the utility belt in hand. He stopped next to X and handed him a different sphere—this one silver.

"If physical force doesn't keep an opponent down, move onto chemical." Red-X took it just as Speedy pulled out his bow and docked an arrow. He first aimed at X…but then switched to Slade, uncertain who to hit first. It didn't really matter anyway. The moment he drew back the string one would attack. "I find sedatives come in handy when you have little time on your hand."

If the two villains weren't hinting to a bomb, Robin had no idea what else they were talking about.

X tossed the second fear, Speedy releasing his arrow at the exact same time. X caught the arrow—and the ball hit the floor, a dark yellow cloud rising from its crack. Robin back-stepped as he began to cough blindly, ready to jump off the side of the boat to escape the gas, when two black gloved hands reached out to grab him. One caught his arm, the other catching Speedy's free hand. Pulled back into the thick cloud of smoke, his vision began to fade again…

-A-

Darn—I have to go and get the stuff ready for my dad's birthday so I have to leave you guys here. Once I'm done though, I'll get to work on another chapter for another story. Enjoy, and have a wonderful weekend.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


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